# Tarzan of the Apes — Themes

> Major themes in Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

## Nature vs. Nurture

Tarzan's development as a noble and intelligent being despite being raised by apes in the jungle explores whether human character is shaped by innate heredity or environment.

## Civilization vs. Wilderness

The book contrasts the savage, instinctual life of the jungle with the constraints and hypocrisies of civilized society, as Tarzan struggles to adapt to human conventions.

## Identity and Belonging

Tarzan's quest to understand his origins and find his place between the ape world and the human world drives the narrative, highlighting themes of alienation and self-discovery.

## Colonialism and Racism

The story is set against a backdrop of European colonial exploitation in Africa, depicting racial hierarchies and the brutal treatment of native peoples by colonial powers.

## Love and Instinct

Tarzan's primal, possessive love for Jane Porter is portrayed as an instinctual force that overrides reason, blending romantic attraction with raw, animalistic desire.

## Survival and Strength

The harsh jungle environment emphasizes physical prowess, cunning, and adaptability as essential for survival, with Tarzan embodying the ultimate survivor.

## Heredity and Aristocracy

Tarzan's noble birth as Lord Greystoke is presented as an inherent source of his superiority, suggesting that aristocratic bloodlines confer innate qualities of leadership and honor.

## Savagery and Brutality

Both human and animal characters exhibit cruelty and violence, from the mutineers' massacre to the villagers' torture of captives, questioning the line between civilized and savage behavior.

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